“By signing the electoral pact, you, the political leaders of Haiti, have committed yourselves to ensuring free and fair elections,” said State Secretary Vidar Helgesen in his address at the signing ceremony in Port-au-Prince on 14 June. The election pact provides a code of conduct for the political parties in the election campaign and in the election process itself, with particular focus on respect for the rule of law and renunciation of the use of violence.

A total of four million Haitians will go the ballot box this autumn. Local elections will be held on 9 October and elections for the national assembly and the president will be held in two rounds, on 13 November and 18 November. Since Jean-Bertrand Aristide was relieved of his presidential duties and exiled in February, Haiti has been governed by an interim government supported by the multinational United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Norway has been a driving force in the efforts to establish a political dialogue and a code of conduct agreed on by the parties taking part in the election. Norway co-operates closely with Norwegian Church Aid in its engagement in Haiti.

State Secretary Vidar Helgesen pointed out that the electoral pact process has resulted in a dialogue between political parties that have not previously been willing to communicate with each other. This had made it impossible to hold democratic elections in Haiti. “A national dialogue is essential to ensure the success of the election,” said Mr Helgesen.

The pact is the result of close consultations with the political groups in Haiti, which have been arranged by the Norwegian-financed Institute for Advanced Social and Political Studies (ISPOS) in co-operation with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The main challenge now is to ensure that all the parties comply with the electoral pact. This will require pressure from the international community as a whole,” said Mr Helgesen. Norway will host a new meeting between the political parties in Oslo in August for further discussions on the election campaign and process.